


The Fate of the Savior

by Violet_Rose_Of_Darkness



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Once Upon A Time, Curse Breaking, F/M, Family, Multi, True Love, Witch Curses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-05-21 19:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14921462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violet_Rose_Of_Darkness/pseuds/Violet_Rose_Of_Darkness
Summary: Orphaned at birth, the last thing Celeste Shade expects is for her ex-boyfriend and the father of her son to pop back into her life. But that's not even the biggest shocker as he tries to convince her that her parents are actually Wonder Woman and Batman and that they're under a curse only she can break. She doesn't want to believe it, but sometimes fate can be a bitch.





	1. Prologue: Part I

**Author's Note:**

> As some of you may know, I've written a few one-shots centering around the idea of Justice League with a Once Upon a Time twist. At first, I had no idea how to even start a full-length story like that, but today I figured, "Why not give this a shot?" So, I did.
> 
> Now, this is based on the ABC Family show Once Upon a Time. For those of you who don't know, OUAT is a unique take on all of our favorite Disney fairytales and others that Disney had yet to adapt. If you haven't watched it, I suggest you do because it's pretty interesting. I myself haven't even finished season three yet, but I'm pretty sure they just ended the series after seven seasons.
> 
> Even though this fic is based on OUAT, it won't follow the series entirely because this is, after all, a Justice League fanfic. So there are some twists that are completely my own.
> 
> Now, without further ado, please enjoy!

Elated cheers rang out through the air as everyone aboard the Watchtower celebrated the union of two of their best heroes. Batman and Wonder Woman - or Bruce and Diana - parted from their passionate kiss to gaze lovingly into one another's eyes. Diana seemed to be the center of the room; her wedding dress a rich porcelain chiton that flowed gracefully onto the ground with a golden band wrapped around her waist and her long raven hair tied up into a bun with two elegant pieces of hair framing her face. She had light makeup on, but it was not needed as anyone and everyone could see her natural beauty shining brightly as always.

This happy moment was short lived, however, when a puff of dark gray smoke suddenly filled the air. From the smoke emerged a rather vindictive-looking woman with dark violet hair and ice blue eyes. Her lips were curled into a malicious grin which sent shivers down the majority of the lower-ranking heroes' spines.

"Did I miss the wedding cake?" asked the woman coyly, malice glinting in her eyes.

The magician Zatanna was the first to act. "Enog eb!" she chanted from the crowd, only to have the spell reflected.

"Darling, please, we've discussed this," the woman purred, but made no move to attack. "You're a simple magician. Your parlor tricks aren't even close to my level."

Diana barely flinched at the sorceress' sudden appearance, eyebrows furrowing in complete and utter rage. "Circe," she hissed, taking her sword from Shayera Hol who, being her maid of honor and the closest one to her besides Bruce and J'onn J'onzz, who was officiating the two, had been holding it for her. "This is your one warning; leave now."

Bruce placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, but didn't take his eyes off the witch as she slowly approached them. "Careful," he warned her, subtly nodding to the rest of the Justice League, silently telling them not to attack, but to stay on guard. "I won't let her do anything. I promise."

Diana ignored him, raising her sword threateningly. "I won't let you ruin today," she spat and most the room's occupants winced at her unusually hostile tone.

Circe, seeing this, rolled her eyes. "Come, now, darling," she coaxed mockingly. "I'm not here to ruin your special day." Her smirk seemed to widen. "In fact, I'm here to present you and your husband with a gift."

The Amazon clenched her teeth. "No doubt another one of your tricks. We want nothing to do with it!"

The witch chuckled. "Too bad you don't really have a choice, then," she retorted. She gestured around them. "You and your little husband can have today, Diana. Celebrate for the rest of the day and all through the night. Enjoy it while you can. But tomorrow will bring the start of hell on this earth. Everything you cherish, everything you hold dear will be ripped from you.

"You're suffering will finally bring my victory," Circe finished. "By Zeus, your happiness will be torn to pieces. I will spend every moment of my existence to ensure that if I have to." With that, she turned on her heel and began to exit. Bruce angrily clutched a bataraang in his pocket before flinging at the woman. She, however, seemed to sense it coming and disappeared in another puff of smoke.

Diana clutched his arm, the couple exchanging worried looks as the Watchtower erupted into chaos.

~OoOoOo~

It was a dead end.

"Son of a bitch," muttered twenty-six year old Celeste Shade as she typed furiously onto her laptop. She had to admit, this "James Kindle" was good. No credit or debit card purchases, no birth certificate. The name people knew him by must have been a fake as she couldn't find a single lead. There was no trace of him anywhere. It was as if he had never existed.

Fortunately, she knew a thing or two about disappearing.

A few more types and the woman smirked. The only thing she had to go on was a single picture, which she had just run through the data bases of store security cameras in the area. Sure enough, a matching face had popped up in a store near her little apartment. As it turned out, she knew exactly where it was. Time to take a trip downtown.

"Mom?"

Or maybe not.

Celeste's head snapped up as she came face-to-face with a somewhat peculiar pair of eyes; one matching her sapphire blue orbs and the other an emerald green. "Hey, Kid," she greeted softly, standing up to go meet her son and kneeling in front of him. "What are you doing up?"

"Bad dream," answered Ryan Shade. The eight year old shared a few of her features including her hair and nose. Everything else was solely his father. At the thought of the man, she immediately banished him from her head. He was her past and therefore should stay in the past. Ryan was her future.

The woman pursed her lips. She wasn't the best at dealing with nightmares since so many of her own had failed to go away even today. Nevertheless, she would try for her son. For him, she would move mountains. "What was it about?" she offered.

Ryan took this as an invitation to settle into her lap and she welcomed it, running her fingers through his hair. Work could wait. "There's a man and a woman," he explained. "The woman's wearing a white dress, so I think they're getting married." He looked up at her, examining her face. "She kind of looks like you, Mom."

Celeste went rigid at that, trying to make a connection in her head. "Does she?" she inquired, attempting to keep her face neutral. Why on Earth would he be dreaming about a woman who looks like herself getting married? Was this his subconscious' way of saying he wanted to know about his father?

That was one talk she wasn't ready to have.

Her son took no notice of her internal conflict, nodding his head. "Uh-huh. There's lots of people in the room too. Everyone seems happy until a witch shows up."  
She raised an eyebrow. "A witch?"

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "But she doesn't have green skin or wear all black or fly on a broomstick like in The Wizard of Oz. Her skin's reg... regu-" He looked up at her for help.

"Regular?" supplied Celeste.

He beamed at her. "Regular," he reiterated. "That's it. And her hair's purple and she's wearing a dress. She comes in and the woman pulls out a sword."

She blinks at him. "A sword," she repeats incredulously. She supposed it made sense. Ryan's called her his hero on more than one occasion, even drawing her as a knight in school. That mixed in with the secret desire to meet his father, it shouldn't be too abnormal for him to dream about her pulling out a sword to fight a witch on her so-called wedding day. "What does the witch say?"

"Can't remember everything," answered Ryan with a shrug, burying his face into her chest. "I think she said something about ruining everyone's lives."

Celeste unwittingly began to rock them both back and forth. "So, what about it was scary?"

"I... I just feel bad for the couple," he admitted to her. "They just looked so happy to be together and this witch comes and ruins it. Isn't that sad?"  
Well, when he put it like that, it was indeed. Celeste knew a thing or two about losing happiness. "I guess so, kiddo. Listen-" She pulled him off of her lap. "It's late. Why don't you try heading back to bed, okay?"

Ryan yawned and looked like he was going to agree (her little angel never fussed about bedtime), when he caught sight of her laptop and gasped. "Mom!"

She looked down at him with wide eyes, somewhat alarmed. "What? What is it?"

He grinned up at her. "It's almost twelve o'clock!"

Celeste wasn't seeing the point. "And?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "It's your birthday!" he exclaimed, tugging her up and towards the kitchen. He pulled a box out of the fridge and a package of sorts from behind the toaster. "Make a wish!"

She looked at him suspiciously, wondering what he had planned. In all honesty, she had forgotten about her birthday, being so wrapped up in him and her job. She shrugged before opening the box. Immediately, her heart began to throb. "Oh, Ryan..." Inside the box was a single cupcake and the package contained a few candles. "How did you get this?"

"I used my allowance and bought everything after school yesterday," he told her, blushing a bit. "That's why I was late. I know it's not a lot, but..."

Celeste fought the tears threatening to fall and hugged her son close to her. "It's more than enough," she uttered into his hair. How had she been blessed with such a perfect son? He did well in school, never got into trouble, and was such a sweet boy. The pain and grief of him coming into the world had definitely been worth it. "It's absolutely perfect. I love you, kiddo."

Ryan immediately hugged her back. "I love you too, Mom." He pulled away, looking at her expectantly. "Are you gonna make a wish?"

She laughed. "Anything for you, kid." She took the cupcake out of the box and grabbed a lighter from a nearby drawer before sticking candle into the small treat. She lit the candle and stared at it.

Of course, Celeste knew she didn't have to make a wish. She could merely close her eyes and blow out her candle and her son would believe her. But she promised she would. How could she stand to deceive her child like that? So, she shut her eyes tight and thought real hard about her one wish. Her thoughts traveled back to the dream her son had and what it could have meant. What he could have wanted. What she wanted him to have.

It was silly and desperate, but she did it anyway.

'I wish that Ryan could meet his father,' thought Celeste as she blew out her candle. She opened her eyes and smiled at her beaming son. Seeing that elated look on his face was more than enough to satisfy her.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Ryan looked at her, confused. "There's someone here," he told her.

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "You're right." Who on Earth would be here this late? She looked at Ryan sternly. "Stay here, kid. I'll go see who it is." She made her way to the front door, opening it only to come face-to-face with a man she never thought she'd see again. "Rex?"

The man smiled at her, emerald green eyed filled with tenderness. "Hey, Princess."

~OoOoOo~

Diana stared out of the window of Wayne Manor, eyes trained onto the sunset. Her hands her resting on her stomach, which was now sporting a prominent baby bump. The baby was due any day now. Not for the first time, fear crept up her throat at the thought of Circe's threat. What if it came to fruition? After so many months of trail and error, after so much strife and agony, everything had been coming together. She and Bruce were finally together and they had a baby on the way.

Now, one of her worst enemies was threatening to take it all away.

"What are you thinking about?"

Diana turned at the sound of the deep masculine voice. "Nothing," she lied, knowing he would see right through her.

Bruce sighed as he stood next to her, arm draped around her shoulders. "You're thinking about Circe's threat," he stated knowingly.

Her lips twitched at his usual perceptiveness. "Is that wrong?"

"Of course not." His hands came to lay upon her own. "But the stress isn't good for the baby. You should rest."

"I haven't rested since our wedding," admitted Diana, striding into the nursery. She allowed a hand to graze over the glass mobile that hung over the crib their baby would sleep in.

"Exactly my point, Princess," chimed Bruce, following her. "There's a chance she could be bluffing, you know. She could just be trying to get into your head."

She looked at him incredulously. "She poisoned me because she thought I was prettier than her. If Circe says she's going to do something, she's going to do it. And don't act like I'm the only one. Ever since then, you've ordered every magic-user on the League to try to stop whatever she's planning." She could hardly believe he was tying to put her mind at ease. Honestly, he was the most paranoid person she'd ever met.

Bruce shrugged. "Guilty." He sighed again, taking her hand in hers. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Of course there was, but Diana knew he wouldn't like it. "Let me talk to him," she requested. Usually, she didn't need to ask his permission to do anything, but it wasn't just about her anymore. They had a child now. She just happened to be the one carrying it in her body.

"No," answered Bruce immediately.

"He sees the future!" protested Diana.

"It's too dangerous, Diana," her husband insisted. He only used her real name when he was serious. "There's a reason he's trapped in Tartarus."

"Then can you promise me our baby will be safe?" she shot back. "Because he can." That silenced him for a moment. This time, it was her turn to sigh. "Look, I don't like it either. He's a manipulative, selfish, bastard and the world would probably be better without him, but what choice do we have?"

Bruce seemed to think about this for a second before nodding. "Fine," he agreed. "For our child."

It'll be the once and only chance that monster would be allowed within ten feet of his grandchild.

~OoOoOo~

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Celeste's fists clenched and unclenched at her sides as she stared at the man in front of her. He hadn't changed at all, even after eight years. Her emotions were so sporadic at that moment that she was caught between hugging him, kissing him, or throwing him into the wall. She stared at him, nostrils flared and eyes narrowed dangerously.

Rex Stewart chuckled. "Well, that's quite the hello," he commented. "Though, I do believe it's proper manners to invite your guests in. Especially old friends."

She scoffed at him. "'Old friends' is not the term I would use to describe our relationship," she shot back. "What do you want, Rex?"

He held up a bottle. "Well, that would require a glass or two."

Celeste's lips formed a firm, straight line. "I don't drink," she told him.

Rex snorted. "And I'm supposed to believe that? The girl I knew could chug a bottle or two and not even get dizzy. Remember that time you outdrank that gang of bikers? I thought the leader was going to piss himself."

She closed her eyes, trying to get a handle on her emotions. Of course she remembered. She remembered all the fun they used to have back then. She also remembered how much more naïve than she had been back then. His presence was opening old wounds, old wounds she had buried a long time ago. He needed to leave and he needed to leave now. 

Especially before a certain curious someone decided to pop up beside her.

"Mom? What's going on?"

Shit. Too late.

"Mom?" repeated Rex, glancing behind her to get a look at her son. "You have a kid?"

Celeste took a deep breath before turning around and getting to Ryan's level. "Ryan, sweetheart, I need you to wait in the kitchen for me, okay?" She didn't dare look back at the man behind her, knowing he was putting the pieces together in his head.

"Um... okay?" her son accepted, retreating into the house. After all, she only called him by his name when she was serious.

"Hey, kid, how old are you?" asked Rex, despite her attempts to get her son away from him.

"Don't answer him," Celeste instructed, still not looking back.

He caught her by the arm. "How old is he?" he repeated in her ear, causing shivers to crawl down her back.

Ryan turned around. "I'm eight," he said confidently. "Why do you wanna know so bad?"

Rex's hand tightened slightly around her arm, though not enough to hurt her. "Princess." She ignored him. "Celeste."

She sighed, gathering the courage to face him. "What?"

To her surprise, his eyes shone with unshed tears. "Is he mine?" he demanded quietly, as to not alert the boy.

Once again, Celeste took another deep breath. "Ryan, go to your room," she ordered. Her voice softened as she added, "Please." Her son looked like the last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone with Rex, but he obeyed her wishes and retreated into his room.

"Is he mine?" repeated Rex.

She leaned forward until they were mere centimeters away. "Gee, Rex, I don't fucking know," she snapped sarcastically. "What did you think would happen when we had unprotected sex? What did you think would happen when you framed me? What the actual fuck did you think would happen when you left me in jail without so much as a simple fucking note?"

Usually, she was careful to watch her language around Ryan, but Ryan was in his room and Rex was here. Rex was here. All bets were off.

He shook his head, glaring at her. "No. No, you don't get to act like you're the fucking victim here! You hid my child from me!"

Celeste could have slapped him right then and there, but held her ground. "Don't fucking turn this around on me! You left me, framed me, and then disappeared! I didn't hide anything from you and you know it! You were gone!"

Rex scoffed at her which only served to infuriate her more. "As if a bail bondsperson couldn't have found me."

~OoOoOo~

"Be careful with him, Diana," warned a tall, regal woman with long brown hair and grey eyes as she led Diana and Bruce through the newly reconstructed Tartarus. Now only Gods would be able to enter and find their way though it. It also limited the power of anyone trapped there. "He's going to try to manipulate you, don't let him. And whatever you do, don't eat or drink anything down here. Understand?"

Diana nodded. "Yes, Lady Athena."

They finally came upon a barred-off part of the Underworld. "Uncle, you have visitors," announced Athena.

A man came into view, his smirking face making Diana's hand twitch as bad memories invaded her mind. "Ah, a visit from my niece and daughter on the same day? How pleasant."

Athena rolled her eyes. "I'll leave you to him," she muttered in disdain before retreating a few feet away.

"Come closer, my dear daughter," coaxed Hades. "And take off those ridiculous cloaks, the both of you. Honestly, as if I wouldn't recognize my own blood. And wherever you go, Diana, you're husband follows."  
Diana stayed where she was, but they both discarded their cloaks, knowing that it wouldn't do any good to keep them on. "I'd rather stay here. Now, we've come to ask you-"

Hades waved a dismissive hand at her. "Yes, yes, I know," he interrupted. "You want to know if Circe plans to make good on her threat and where your precious child fits into it." His smirk widened. "Whether or not my grandchild will be safe."

The Amazon wanted to snap that he wasn't nor would he ever be her father or, by extension, her child's grandfather, but bit her tongue. They needed his help and that wasn't the way to get it. "Tell us what you know," she commanded, before adding a somewhat desperate, "Please."

She saw the satisfaction creep onto Hades' face. "I never took you for one to beg, daughter. I suppose motherhood will change anyone." He chuckled deeply. "Fear not, for I can ease your minds." Mischief sparkled in his eyes. "But it comes with a price."

"No," objected Bruce firmly, pulling gently on Diana's arm. "Princess, you know what his deals are like. Remember Orpheus?"

Hades cleared his throat. "My deal with Orpheus was very specific. He didn't follow my instructions." He leaned as close to her as he could with the bars separating them. "You're not like Orpheus, Diana. You're my blood. You're smart."

Diana stood still, feet planted. "What do you want?" she grounded out.

"The name of your unborn child."

She had to admit, he was brilliant. Gods only had power over the mortal world when they knew the name of their target. If she revealed her child's name, she was practically exposing them. Not only to Hades, but to any other God he chose to tell. But what choice did she have? Not only did she have a family to protect, she was a Founding member of the Justice League; she was accountable for the safety of the entire world.

"Absolutely not-"

"Deal," Diana cut in without thinking. She felt guilty for overriding Bruce, but this was their only way. "What do you know?"

The look on Hades' face said it all; he knew he had won. "Circe has created a powerful curse," he revealed, seeming amused at her horrified expression. "And it's coming. Soon you'll all be imprisoned." He pursed his lips. "A bit like me, only worse. Much worse. This prison will be time. Time will stop and we will be trapped. We will be imprisoned in a horrible place where everything we love, everything we hold dear will be taken."

"We?" parroted the woman. "This curse will affect you and the other Gods?"

"Of course, my child." He knew she despised it when he referred to her as such. "This curse will be aimed at the Justice League, their enemies, and their powerful allies, which includes myself and the Gods of Olympus. It's not so much Circe's magic as it is the curse itself. Every one of us will suffer for all of eternity, while Circe celebrates her victory."

"There has to be a way to stop it," reasoned Diana. "All curses can be broken. There must be some way we can break it."

"Right you are, my child," Hades praised. "All curses can be broken. But not by us." He slowly reached out and touched her bump. "The child currently residing in your stomach."  
Bruce shoved his hand away. "Try something like that again," he snarled. "I dare you."

Hades tutted disapprovingly before turning back to her. "Protect them," he advised. "I don't care how you do it, I don't care if it's the hardest thing you've ever had to do, just make sure their safe. They're our only hope. Make sure they're safe and on their..." He seemed to have to think for a moment before continuing, "twenty-sixth birthday, they will return. The child will find you." That god-awful smirk returned to his face. "And then, the final battle will begin."

"Enough," cut in Bruce, tugging her away. "We're leaving."

"Ah, ah, ah, daughter dearest," scolded Hades. "We made a deal, remember? I want her name. I need her name."

"There is no 'her,'" lied Bruce. "It's a boy."

"Diana," called Hades. "You know I'm right. A deal is a deal, isn't it? What Amazon doesn't honor her word? Tell me, what's the child's name?"

He was playing at her conscious and Diana knew it. Unfortunately for her, he was right. An Amazon always honored her word. She sighed, turning to face him once more. "Celeste," she answered. "The baby's name is Celeste." And with that, the couple left.

Hades grinned to himself. "Celeste," he repeated. "Excellent."

~OoOoOo~

Celeste's eyes were wide as she stared at him, stumbling away from him a few inches. "Have you been stalking me?" she accused. It was the only logical explanation. How else would he know what she did for a living? How else would he know where she lived?

Rex rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Princess."

She grabbed the house phone off its charger. "Leave," she hissed. "Leave or I swear to god, I will call the cops." Though, as she threatened him, things weren't adding up in her head. If he was in fact stalking her, then how did he not know about Ryan? Of course, he could be faking it, but she knew when people were lying. She called it a "superpower" of sorts. And he wasn't lying.

He called her on it too. "Use your superpower, then. Tell me I'm lying to you."

Celeste glared at him. "Yeah, well, if there's one person who'd be able to deceive me, it'd be you."

Rex sighed, hand coming to rest on his temple. "Celeste, put down the phone."

"Or what?"

His eyes met hers. "Don't make me do something I'll regret."

She couldn't help but rise to the challenge. "Is that a threat, Rex Stewart?"

"Celeste..."

The woman pursed her lips, but put down the phone, still making sure it was within her reach if she did need to alert the authorities. "Rex, why are you here?"

Rex approached her, not stopping until they were, once again, centimeters away. "I'm here to bring you to your parents."


	2. Prologue: Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Welcome to chapter two! Some things will seem fast paced and there's a good reason for that. I'm lazy :P Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

"My parents?" echoed Celeste. She felt her heart clench painfully, but attempted to keep the walls around it strong as she crossed her arms. "My parents left me for dead on the side of the road. You know that." It had been one of the secrets she had entrusted him with, along with others. She hadn't told him everything - thank goodness for that - but she had told him enough. "They didn't want me."

Rex's expression didn't change. "You really think a couple who left you a necklace with your name on it didn't want you?" he challenged. "The blanket too. You were found in a blanket with your name on it. You even said so yourself, a couple that had such a beautiful blanket made just for you had to have wanted you."

Immediately, Celeste's hand flew to the silver, star-shaped charm that was held around her neck by a matching chain. In the center of it was her name engraved in beautiful cursive. "They didn't want me," she reiterated firmly. It was so much easier to believe it, too. It was the only logical explanation. No one wanted her. No one except her son, of course. And who knew? There might come a day where even he would grow tired of her.

His face softened as he took her chin in his hand. "I know that's what everyone's told you," he said gently. "I know that's what you've convinced yourself, but it's not true. They wanted you more than anything."

She ripped herself away from them before she got sucked back into his charms. She was not seventeen anymore. She wasn't stupid. "How would you know?" she bit out harshly. "How do you know so much about them? Have you ever met them?"

Rex went silent for a moment. "A long time ago," he told her quietly. "The last time I ever saw them, I was two. I think."

Celeste's eyes went wide as she stared at him in disbelief. "But you're only two years older than me," she recalled. "You... you knew me when I was born?"

A sense of confusion washed over her. Rex knew her parents. Rex had known her long before they were ever a thing. Had he known exactly who she was all along? Had he knowingly kept her family a secret from her? If that was the case, she had half a mind to land a right punch to his jaw. He'd put her through hell. And for what? What possible reason did he have for doing this to her?

He must have seen the look on her face because he gripped her shoulders, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Princess, I don't technically know your parents, I swear," he promised her. "I'm an orphan like you, remember? I don't know about mine either." He was silent for a moment before adding hastily, "Or I didn't, until..."

Celeste saw his hesitation. "Until, what?" she urged.

Rex sighed. "I guess I should tell you why I left you. It's a long story, are you sure you want to hear it right now?"

She glanced at the clock and shook her head. It was already after one o'clock. "There's no way I'll be able to sleep after this. Lay it on me."

~OoOoOo~

"I say we attack Cice head-on!" declared Hawkgirl as she and the other founders debated on how to deal with Circe's threat.

Wonder Woman placed a finger on her temple. "You know I would be the first to agree with you, Shayera," she sympathized. "Especially when it comes to Circe, but we've no idea what she has in store for us. She's sneaky. And I don't want to think about what she'll do when backed into a corner." She knew her friend was worried about the safety of her own son, but acting rashly wasn't the way to keep Rex - or Celeste for that matter - safe.

"So we take her out before she has the chance!" the redhead argued. "We don't even know when the curse is coming! Everyday we waste is a day all of our lives could be ruined in an instant!"

"But if we provoke her, she might do something worse," reasoned Green Lantern.

"And who's to say we can even trust Hades?" pointed out Flash, his demeanor a lot more serious than his usual one. He grimaced, turning to the woman diagonally across from him. "No offense, Wondy."

She smiled kindly. "None taken, Wally."

"Zatanna, Dr. Fate, and others have attempted to find out more about Crice's plans," announced Batman. To most people, he'd sound completely emotionless. But these were some of his closest friends. They could tell he was as worried as the rest of them. "Through the grapevine, they've heard that her plans are all coming together. This is happening. Unless we find someway to-"

"There's no point," Diana interrupted. "The future is set in stone." Hades - having stolen the gift of sight from Apollo - always made accurate predictions, even better than the God of Music himself. There was no changing it.

Everyone looked taken back by her pessimistic tone, but Batman shook his head. "No, I don't believe that," he stated firmly. "And I know you don't either, Princess. The seven of us have taken down every threat to this Earth since we formed."

Hawkgirl, Flash, and Green Lantern seemed a bit puzzled at the couple's switch of personalities, but Superman nodded in agreement. "Batman's right. There has to be a way-"

"But there isn't," she bit back, looking away from everyone else.

Batman took her hand over the tabletop. "Princess, if you believe Hades about the curse, you must believe him about Celeste. She'll save everyone."

Martian Manhunter was quiet before speaking, "You're worried about her."

Wonder Woman shrugged. "Of course I am. When we first found out I was pregnant, we agreed that we'd give her a normal childhood and that she could get into this when she was an adult if she wanted to. But now she doesn't have a choice." A deafening silence filled the air before there was a puff of smoke. This one was unlike Circe's taking on a dark purple color instead of black one.

"Zatanna," greeted Batman. "Have you heard anything?"

"About Circe's curse?" assumed Zatanna. "No. However, I know how we can protect the baby." She glanced at the Thanagarian. "Shayera, your mace is resistant to magic, right?"  
Hawkgirl nodded. "All nth metal is," she informed them. "But there's only so much we can get here on Earth."

Batman caught on to what Zatanna was saying. "If we can make some sort of vessel from the nth metal we can get, could Diana and the baby be protected from the curse?"

The magician nodded. "Fate and I think so."

"If that's the case, any vessel you make should only fit about one full adult and maybe someone smaller," predicted Hawkgirl.

"I suggest placing Rex in as well, then," Wonder Woman spoke up, sending her friend a reassuring smile. "I'll look after him, Shay. I promise."

The redhead smiled. There was obvious pain in her eyes at the thought of parting with her son, but everyone knew it was for the best. The curse was going to take away everyone's happiness. Who knew what it would do to the children? "I know you will, Diana." Both women took their husbands' hands. There seemed to be hope for their children after all.

~OoOoOo~

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Princess, it's true!" Rex swore to her, taking her hand.

Celeste scowled. "You want me to believe that you left me because someone claiming to be my brother told you to?" she snapped. "And that my parents are actually Batman and Wonder Woman, who are cursed in a place called 'Destiny City?'" She shook her head, pulling away harshly. "Rex, you've said a lot of crazy shit to me before, but this one has to be the craziest. How are you not in a mental hospital yet?"

He scratched the back of his neck, seemingly trying to decide how the best way to approach this would be. "I didn't believe it either at first," he confessed. "But Celeste, he knew things about us, both of us. Like how we were both found on the same side of the road and stayed in the same foster home for about a month. I didn't even know that."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You never told me you were found on the side of the road."

Rex shrugged. "I didn't know. No one ever told me. Princess, he knew about your locket too. And that boy who apparently 'found us?' That was your brother."

"And how do you know he isn't some nut-job?" demanded Celeste. "For all you know, he could be lying."

He sighed. "When you were released from prison, you had an account set up for you full of money, right? And you got a note from someone with the initials 'T.D.'"

She faltered. "Well, yeah..."

"Those initials stand for Tim Drake," Rex told her. "That's who he told me he was."

"The third Robin..." realized Celeste. Growing up, she had been a bit of a comic book nerd. She had been particularly fond of DC, especially the Justice League. She had even watched the cartoons whenever she could. So she did know about Batman and Wonder Woman. But that didn't make her their daughter. She shook her head. "Like I said, nut-job."

He groaned. "I forgot how stubborn you were."

For some reason, that comment rubbed her the wrong way. "And I forgot how much of an asshole you were," she shot back.

Rex smirked. "Still as feisty as ever I see."

"Don't change the subject," snapped Celeste. "You left me because some guy on the street told you to. I went to jail and had to raise a kid on my own. You know, I almost gave him up for adoption."

His smirk fell. "You did?"

She nodded. "At first, I couldn't even look at him. I figured that if I didn't look at him, I couldn't get attached." She smiled fondly. "But then, I caught sight of him as they were taking him away. I asked to hold them and as soon as I did, I fell in love. I couldn't give him up."

"I'm sorry, Princess," said Rex softly. "I really am. If I knew you were pregnant, I would have told Drake to shove it. I would have never let you raise our son on your own."

Celeste gave a dry little chuckle. "Guess that was the one thing he 'conveniently' forgot to mention," she muttered sarcastically. "Look, I don't care anymore. I don't care that you left me or that I had to spend eleven months in jail. All I care about is my son."

"Our son," he corrected her. "Celeste, I want to be in his life."

"I want you to be in his life too," she confessed. Her son deserved a father. "But Rex, how can I trust you to be there for him? And I don't mean taking him to a baseball game every once and a while. I mean, going to school events, being here when he's sick. Every thing that comes with being a parent."

"And I'll do all those things," vowed Rex. "Just give me a chance. Princess, come with me to Destiny City. Give me a year for me to convince you that this curse is real. Give me a year to be with my son."

Celeste weighed her options. She had often dreamt about a perfect little family with the three of them. She knew Ryan got teased because she was a bail bondswoman and kids used the fact that he didn't know his father to torment him. Even if Rex really had gone off the deep end and was making all this up, a fresh start might be nice for them. On the other hand, how stable was a father who was convinced comic book characters were real?

Still, now that Rex had found out about Ryan, she knew there was no way to keep them apart even if she wanted to.

"I'll see what he says about it tomorrow," she decided, biting her lip. "But can we not tell him yet? I want him to get to know you before we do."

He thought about this before nodding his acceptance. "That's fair." He looked at her hopefully. "So if the kid wants to, you'll go?"

Celeste shrugged. "Not like there's much for us here, anyway. Why not?"

~OoOoOo~

Bruce and his ward - Tim Drake, the third Robin - worked tirelessly on the vessel. Everyone had decided that a metal wardrobe would be the best option. The nth metal found on Earth should be enough to construct one that would hold Diana, the unborn baby, and Rex. It was only a matter of time until the curse would be cast. They only hoped that the wardrobe would protect them.

One late after noon, Diana turned to face her husband. "I don't want to do this," she confessed.

"Princess, it had to be you," said Bruce softly, taking her hand.

"I can't leave you," she insisted. "Who knows what Circe has planned for you - all of you? I can't leave you at her mercy."

He took her hand, tugging her closer to him so that they were just millimeters away. Their noses touched and she leaned her forehead against his. "It's the only way," he reminded her gently. "Go in there and you'll be shielded from the curse."

Diana's strong but gentle hands came to rest on his shoulders. "Hades said it would be on her twenty-sixth birthday," she recalled.

"We can handle that," Bruce stated. "It'll be a long time coming, but we will see each other again." He gave her a bittersweet smile. "And when that day comes, we'll have a beautiful daughter with us."

She could tell he was saddened at the fact that he wouldn't get to see her grow up and Diana felt guilty at the fact that she would. It wasn't fair. Nothing about this was fair. "When did you turn into the optimistic one?"

"Well, you and Alfred are always telling me to have faith," he retorted, pressing a sweet, chaste kiss to her lips. "We save each other, Princess. We always have. It won't be any different this time." He wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

This time, it was Diana who brought him in for a kiss. This one was more passionate than the last as she poured her very heart and soul into it. She smiled slightly when she felt him do the same. He was right. If they wanted to see each other again, she had to have hope. She suddenly pulled away, a sharp pain piercing into her abdomen.

Bruce looked more than a little concerned. "What is it?" he asked.

"The baby," whispered Diana, looking at him with wide, scared eyes. "She's coming."

Later that evening, the founding members of the Justice League and the highest ranking and most trusted by them stood at Wayne Manor, ready for battle. Along with them were Nightwing, Red Hood, and Batgirl. Dark smoke was sweeping over the area, as were creatures nobody could begin to imagine. They looked like animals you might find in the woods, but deformed, mutated.

"The curse," spoke Green Lantern into his com piece, eyes narrowed. "It's here."

~OoOoOo~

Celeste had gotten up extra early the next morning, getting breakfast ready for her and her son. She still had no idea how she was going to tell him that they might be moving. Again. It's not like they had roots in Trenton, New Jersey. They had moved around from place-to-place due to her job, so it wasn't like they had too much moving to do. Everything they did own could easily fit in her truck.

"Mom?"

She smiled and turned around. "Morning, kid," she greeted. She was surprised he managed to wake up at his usual time. She, herself, had been unable to sleep. "Have a seat, breakfast is almost done."

"You're cooking," observed Ryan. "You don't cook. Usually, we just stop at the bakery or something before school."

Celeste chuckled; he was as smart as ever. "Well, today is special," she told him cryptically, ever one for theatrics. "And you're not going to school today."

He titled his head to the side. "Why not?" he asked.

She placed his plate in front of him, kissing the top of his hair. "I wanted to ask you something."

The boy looked concerned. "Is there something wrong?" he questioned.

Celeste shook her head. "It's not anything bad." She picked up a post card off the table and handed it to him. "This was in our mailbox," she lied. In reality, Rex had given it to her, but he didn't need to know that.

"Destiny City?" read Ryan. "I've never heard of a place like that in Jersey."

She shrugged. "Sounds like an adventure, doesn't it?"

His eyes lit up at the word. "Are we moving there?" he asked excitedly.

Celeste laughed, relieved that he seemed to want to go there. "That's what I wanted to ask you. Would that be okay?"

Ryan nodded. "Sounds fun!" he exclaimed. "When do we leave?"

There was a knock at the door and she grinned, walking towards it. "Now." She opened the door to reveal Rex. She beckoned him inside and the two returned to the kitchen.

"You're the man from last night!" the boy realized.

Rex smiled down at him. "Yeah, I am." He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Ryan."

Ryan, ever the polite young man she raised him to be, shook it. "Nice to meet you too."

Celeste beamed at the sight, but straightened her face before either one of them could realize it. "Ryan, this is Rex Stewart," she informed her son. "He's, uh, going to be helping us with the move."

"You're a mover, Mr. Stewart?" asked Ryan.

The man glanced at her before looking back at him. "Something like that."

Celeste shuffled awkwardly. "Kid, I packed all your stuff already, so why don't you go get your suitcase?" she suggested.

The eight year old nodded. "Okay," he complied.

Rex watched him go. "He's a good kid," he stated.

The corner's of her mouth twitched. "He's a great kid," she agreed.

"You're doing a great job with him."

Celeste shrugged. "I try." She noticed how close they were and backed away slightly, clearing her throat. "I, uh, have our other things packed, mind giving me a hand?"

"Of course."

God, could things be any more awkward between them?

~OoOoOo~

A shriek of pure agony tore itself from Diana's lips as she was giving birth. There hadn't been time to get her to the Watchtower or hospital, so she had been forced to have the baby right in their room.

As a warrior, she had felt pain before. It was only natural. She had been stabbed, thrown against buildings, beaten into the ground, and on the receiving end of Shayera's mace. Nothing she had felt or would ever feel could compare to the pain of having a baby without any epidurals or the proper equipment. She had no idea that childbirth would hurt so horribly.

"I can't have this baby now!" Diana cried out. This had to be the worst possible timing. Circe was on her way, curse in tow. Oh, why couldn't Celeste wait another day or two?

"Alfred," muttered Bruce helplessly, looking at the butler - who was delivering the baby - for assistance before holding his wife close to him. "It's going to be okay. Everything will be okay." Alfred gave him a nod. "Tim's finishing the wardrobe as we speak."

Diana gave another shriek as said boy came into the room. "It's ready!" announced Tim.

Bruce began to lift her into his arms before Alfred stopped him. "It's too late, Master Bruce," he said gravely. "We can't move Miss Diana now."

The man looked completely torn as he buried his face in her hair. "Push, Diana," he urged softly. "I know you can do it."

She gave another shriek and the cry of a newborn baby could be heard. A few minutes later, Celeste Martha Wayne laid in her mother's arms, wrapped in a white-knit blanket with her name sewed into it. Diana smiled down at the baby. "Hi, Celeste."

Bruce kissed Diana's forehead, but her smile fell. "The wardrobe won't be able to fit all three of us," she realized, looking up at him. A crash was heard and the new parents knew they were running out of time.

His lips formed a thin line. "You don't know that," he argued. "We could make it work. We-"

She held up a hand. "I saw it when you were building it, Bruce. It could have barely fit Rex and I. It won't fit the three of us."

For once, Bruce was out of options. "Then what do we do?"

Diana looked at her baby, then back at Bruce. "You have to take her," she stated firmly. "You have to take her to the wardrobe."

He looked affronted. "What? Are you out of your mind?"

She began to sob, the thought of being forced apart from her child almost too much to bear. But it had to be done. Sometimes, Diana wished she hadn't been blessed with a noble heart by the Gods. If she hadn't, nothing could have made her give up her child. "I-It's the only way. We have to keep the faith that she'll find us."

Bruce looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do, but sighed. "You're right," he agreed, a single tear rolling down his check at the notion of sending her his daughter to fend for herself.

Diana nodded. "We have to give her, her best chance." She kissed the baby's forehead. "Goodbye, Celeste." She looked at her husband. "Go, Bruce. I love you."

"I love you too." He took the baby in his arms and made his way towards the nursery, making sure to keep his daughter safe. When he got there, he gave the baby a kiss on the forehead as well. "We'll be together again," he promised. "All three of us. Find us, Celeste. Please, find us." He placed her into the wardrobe and closed the door, locking it.

When Bruce turned around, he came face-to-face with the witch and a few soldiers from her army. "This is the end of your happiness, Batman," she told him, smirking triumphantly. "Guess you're really regretting getting involved with the Princess, aren't you?"

He scowled. "Not on your life."

Circe's face contorted into a glare. "Take him," she ordered her guards. The men went to grab him and he let them. As he was being dragged away, Bruce nodded to Tim who had been hiding behind the wardrobe with a two year old Rex in his arms. They had made a back-up place just in case something like this happened. A plan not even Diana knew about.

Thankfully, they hadn't seen him place the baby into the wardrobe or everything would be ruined.

Once everyone was gone, Tim came out of hiding and opened the wardrobe, slipping himself and Rex into it. He sat the boy down and held Celeste, rocking her gently so she wouldn't start crying and give them away. "I'm going to keep you safe," he swore. The baby gurgled at him. "Shh, Timmy's here."

~OoOoOo~

They had been in the car for over two hours and the tension could have been cut with a knife. "Are you sure this place even exists?" she asked quietly as to not wake Ryan, who was sleeping peacefully in the backseat.

Rex crossed his arms. "Yes, I'm sure," he insisted. "We'll be able to find it because we've both been with the cursed people." He paused. "At least, that's what Tim told me."

Celeste whipped her head around. "You mean you don't know?" she hissed. This was why. This was why she had trust issues. "Why the hell didn't you check it out before telling me?" She really could not stand Rex Stewart. He was hot-headed, arrogant, and never though things through. Why couldn't she have had a baby with an intelligent billionaire?

"Hey, eyes on the road!" he warned her. "And I didn't have time. He only came to me yesterday. I forgot that today was the day."

"You forgot when I would turn twenty-six?" she deadpanned, trying to mask the hurt she felt at that.

"No, I forgot that it was twenty-six. For some reason, I had it as twenty-eight in my head."

Celeste rolled her eyes; that sounded like him. "Whatever." She caught sight of a sign out of the corner of her eye. It read, Welcome to Destiny City. "Hey, I think we're here."

Rex sat up, stretching. "Good. Do you want me to wake him up, or should I?"

"I'll do it," she told him, reaching behind them and nudging her son's shoulder. "Hey, kid. Wake up. We're here."

Ryan opened his eyes. "We are?"

Celeste smiled. "Yup. Welcome to Destiny City, kid." She surveyed the town before finding a little building that read, Alfred's Diner. "Why don't we stop there for lunch, yeah?"

"Okay!" She parked the truck and the three of them got out of it, entering the little diner. They chose a secluded booth and sat down.

Their waiter was a rather attractive young man with cerulean eyes and short black hair. "Hi, there," he greeted, a friendly smile on his face. "I haven't seen you folks before. You live around here?"

Celeste matched his smile with her own charming one. "Oh, no," she told him. "But we are moving here. Well, my son and I."

The man looked a little confused, looking between her and Rex. "So, you two aren't together?"

"N-"

"Yes," Rex interrupted, shooting the man a smile of his own. "Yes, we are."

She was going to throttle him. Why would he say that? In front of Ryan? "Yeah, we decided to move here for a fresh start," she played along, swearing to make him pay for it later. "Is there anything you recommend?"

The man grinned at her. "We have the best spinach calzones in town," he stated proudly.

"Mom, I want pancakes!" proclaimed Ryan.

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "For lunch?"

"Please?"

She sighed. "I suppose so. And order of pancakes and apple juice please." She looked at Rex. "You?"

"I think I'll take one of those calzones and a Sprite."

"And I'll just have a cup of coffee. Black, please."

The man wrote their order down on his notepad. "Coming right up."

"Thank you..." Celeste looked at his name tag. "Richard."

"No problem. If you don't mind me asking, what're your names?"

"This is Rex and that's Ryan," she told him. "And I'm Celeste. Celeste Shade."

"Celeste," repeated a silky voice behind them. They turned to see an older man with dark hair and darker eyes. "What a lovely name."

She was more-or-less creeped out. Something about this guy rubbed her the wrong way. "Thanks, I guess..."

The man gave her a creepy smile before turning to another young man at the register. "My usual, Mr. Todd." The other man scowled as he stuffed some items into a bag and practically shoved it at him. "Thank you. Well, have a good day, Miss Shade." With that, he was gone.

"Jason, what have I told you about doing that?" snapped Richard. "He'll raise the rent again!"

"Aw, shut up, Goldie."

"Who was that?" asked Ryan curiously.

Richard sighed. "Mr. Exousía," he answered. "He owns this place."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "The diner?"

"No. The town."

~OoOooo~

Diana was thrown into the room, colliding with Bruce's figure. There was no "Did it work?" she breathed quietly into his ear. "Did she make it?"

"It worked, Princess," he whispered back. "She's alright."

Circe approached them both as vines entrapped their limbs. "Well, aren't you two a sight for sore eyes," she taunted, turning to the Amazon. "Look at you, Diana. How the mighty have fallen. Your allies have fallen. You're both at my mercy. You've lost. And I've finally won." She cackled victoriously. "The curse is nearly here and there's no stopping it."

Diana glared daggers at her. "You think you've won," she hissed before she could stop herself.

The witch's smirk fell. "What are you talking about?" she snapped.

A guard soon entered the room. "Your Excellency, there is no sign of the child," he announced.

Circe looked absolutely outraged. "What?" she shrieked, whipping her head towards the couple. "Where is she? Where have you hidden her?"

Diana grinned. "Somewhere she'll be safe from you."

It was Bruce's turn to smirk. "You're going down, Circe. Not yet, but eventually."

Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder. "It doesn't matter," proclaimed the witch. "Should your daughter ever have the gall to show up, I will kill her on the spot. For now, no one in the world will have any memory of the oh-so heroic Justice League." Diana and Bruce managed to take each other's hands as the clouds swooped in on them.

The curse had hit.

~OoOoOo~

"I don't suppose there's a hotel or something around here?" Celeste asked Richard as he came to collect their plates.

He beamed at her. "As it just so happens, we also run an inn across the street," he informed her. "I can ask Barbara to check you in. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect."

She reached for her wallet only to be stopped by Rex. "I'll pay," he volunteered.

"You don't have to-"

"I want to."

Celeste decided to shut her mouth, not wanting to cause a scene in front of Ryan. "Fine," she agreed stiffly, faking another smile. Had she mentioned how much she couldn't stand Rex Stewart?

"So we're really staying?" asked Ryan.

Her fake smile turned genuine as she looked down at him. "Sure are, kiddo."

"Huh."

Rex looked up at Richard, who was staring out of the window at the tall clock tower in the center of town. "What is it?"

The man shook his head. "Nothing, really. I just can't remember the last time that clock worked." Rex subtly nudged her foot under the table. She pretended not to notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that I didn't mean to do this. Over 5000 words. What the actual hell, right? I was aiming for a little over 4000! *sigh* Whatever. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!


	3. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reading my old work earlier and I cringed like I never cringed before. God, I sucked at writing. I don't know why the hell I decided to share that, but enjoy please!

"Princess, wake up!"

Celeste grumbled, pulling her pillow over her face and turning to her side. "Fuck off," she muttered, knowing exactly who it was. Though she was very much awake, her body wasn't fully ready to get up yet. She most definitely didn't appreciate her ex trying to wake her up, either. She suddenly bolted upright, as a swift pinch was delivered to her side. "Ow! What the hell, Rex?"

He shrugged innocently. "It was the only way to get you up," he said innocently.

She groaned, tugging the blanket off her. "How did you even get in our room?" she demanded, eternally grateful that she wasn't wearing anything too improper. She was sharing a room with her son, after all.

Rex gestured to the bathroom. "The kid let me in," he explained. "Hurry up and get ready, we have things to do."

Celeste rolled her eyes, trying to focus on him through her weariness. "Like what?"

He smirked. "Richard offered to give us a tour of the city when you went to bed last night," he told her. "Why do you think Ryan's up so early? I told him last night."

She crossed her arms over her chest, sighing. "We'll be down in a minute. Go wait outside while I get dressed." Rex obliged, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. She sighed, massaging her temples with her pointer fingers. God, why had she agreed to this again?

"Mom."

Right. Her son. Who Rex was the father of.

Celeste faked a smile as she turned to face him. "Hey, buddy," she greeted. "What's up? You excited for our tour today?"

Ryan sat on the bed next to her. "Mom, do you like Mr. Stewart?" he asked, both his green and blue eyes wide with innocence.

She was sure her face was as red as a tomato. "What? No!" she exclaimed, louder than she meant to. Damn his perceptiveness! "We're just friends, kid." Liar, a voice in the back of her head whispered into her ear.

The boy gave her a knowing grin before kissing her cheek. "I'm gonna go wait with him downstairs while you get ready, okay?"

Celeste smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, kiddo. I'll be down in a second." He left her alone and she forced herself onto her feet. She took a quick shower before tugging on some clothes - including her necklace - and made her way downstairs. As her former lover has said, Richard was indeed waiting for her with them, dressed in casual clothes this time as opposed to his uniform.

Richard had a big smile on his face. "Celeste, good to see you. Are you ready for the tour?"

She gave him a smile of her own - albeit a bit tight - and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Lead the way." Rex smirked at her, wrapping an arm around her waist as they walked behind Richard and Ryan and she very subtly flipped him off.

If she went an entire year without strangling him, it would be a miracle.

OoOoOo

"And over here, we have the school."

They had been walking for around thirty minutes when they came upon it. Celeste regarded the building. It was particularly small. In fact, it looked like it only had one room. "This is the entire school?" she asked incredulously. "I'm sorry, how is that possible?" What she wanted to ask was, "How in the hell would you fit more than one class let alone twelve grades?"

Richard shrugged. "We don't really have that many kids here," he explained. "In fact, most of the 'kids' are teenagers. Maybe all of them."

She arched an eyebrow. "And how long has it been like that?" She refused to believe that there were no children in this town.

Suddenly, Richard's face scrunched up in confusion. It was as if he didn't quite know how to answer her question. "Uh... for a while I guess," he finally responded. "As long as I can remember."

Rex subtly elbowed her and she rolled her eyes. Merely a coincidence. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts of his foolery. There were bigger things to worry about. If she and Ryan were going to live here, she couldn't send him to school with teenagers. As someone who had become a mother at eighteen, she could honestly say that teenagers were the cruelest people in the world.

Ryan must have been thinking this to as he looked up at her, face scrunched up in distaste. "I have to go there?"

Celeste thought about this. Without an education suitable for an eight year old, Destiny City might not seem like the best place for them. She was about to voice her concerns when Rex cut in (honestly, she was annoyed with how well he knew her), "Not necessarily. We can get you a tutor or maybe your mom could teach you." He threw a wink in her direction. "She is a borderline genius, after all."

She glared at him; was he going to go to any lengths to get her to stay? "I also didn't finish high school, Rex," she hissed. She looked down at her son thoughtfully. "But a tutor might not be a bad idea." At least until they moved. Her deal with Rex was a year and she was going to honor her word to give Ryan time with his father. Whether they would say after that, however, was up for debate.

"If you're looking for a tutor, I have a recommendation," chimed Richard.

This caught Celeste's attention. "Really? Who?"

"She's an occasional teacher's assistant at the school," he explained. "She mostly makes sure the kids are where they need to be. I could give you her number if you want."

She pondered this. "That actually sounds like a good idea," she decided. "Thank you, Richard." She reached into her pocket and took out her phone. "Here, put her number in here. I'll give her a call later."

Richard obliged, entering the number into the phone. "Oh, she also runs a kickboxing class on weekends. So If either of you are interested..."

Celeste snorted delicately. "Are you her marketing strategy?" she joked. Though, this woman intrigued her already. Who did something as low-key as working with children, but as intense as teaching people to throw each other to the ground?

He shrugged. "Once you meet her, you'll get it. She's just one of those people who are so nice that they're hard to dislike, you know?"

Honestly, the closest person she knew to that was Ryan, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah. I get it. Thanks Richard."

He smiled at her before his eyes drifted to his watch. "Aw, shoot. It's almost time for my shift."

"You'd better go then," Rex piped up after being silent for some time. "Thanks again, man."

Richard grinned. "Anytime," he assured them, turning away. "And if you guys need anything, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

Ryan waved frantically. "Thank you, Mr. Grayson!"

"Yeah, thanks," added Celeste. Her eyebrow furrowed in thought for a moment. "Wait, Grayson?" Where had she heard the name 'Richard Grayson' before? A classmate? Foster brother, perhaps? Whatever it was, it was definitely ringing a bell.

"That's his last name," Rex informed her. "Sounds familiar, don't it?"

She waved it off. "Never mind that, let's just get back to the inn, okay? I have to work on seeing if there are any vacancies available for us."

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, Princess."

OoOoOo

Later that day, they were eating breakfast at Alfred's. As much as she hated feeding her son takeout all the time, she had to admit that the older man for which the restaurant was named was a great cook. She had gotten the chance to meet Alfred and she could honestly say that not even Rex had ever charmed her so much. He was polite and proper with a dry sense of humor to him that really struck a chord with her for some reason.

Celeste shook her head as the three of them ate. "I still can't believe there are no vacancies here."

Rex looked panicked for a second before stating quickly, "I'm sure you'll find something, Princess. Keep looking."

She pursed her lips. "Maybe. I still don't-"

"Who are you?"

Celeste turned abruptly to come face-to-face with a rather malicious-looking woman. Now, as an orphan on the run from child services, she tried not to judge others on their looks, but she couldn't help but feel that something was off about this woman. Something almost - dare she say it - evil. She felt Ryan tense next to her and saw Rex eye the woman nervously, which put her on the defensive as she crossed her arms. "Who wants to know?"

The woman put her hands on her hips. "The mayor of this town," she snapped. "So I'll ask again, who are you? And just so you know, dear, I don't like to repeat myself."  
Well, wasn't this just perfect? She had to deal with people abusing their positions of power growing up, now she had to deal with this woman? Kill me now, she griped to herself in her head.

Celeste made sure to make direct eye contact. Mayor or not, she wouldn't let this woman scare her. "Celeste Shade," she answered. "My son, partner, and I are thinking of moving here. What can I do for you, Mayor-?"

She could tell her attitude was causing the mayor's ire to grow. Good. "Mageía," she bit out. "Cecile Mageía."

She inwardly smirked before putting on one of her best flattering-yet-absolutely-fake smiles. "Well, Madame Mayor, it's great to meet you. You have such a lovely town. Now, is there something you needed?"

The mayor pursed her lips. "No, I suppose not," she conceded with obvious forced pleasantry. "You're moving here, you say, Miss Shade? How lucky we are to apparently be gaining three new members of the community."

As if she couldn't understand sarcasm. Nevertheless, Celeste decided not to comment on it. "I'm sure we'll enjoy living here." Her eyes glinted with mischief and she couldn't help but add, "Unless you have a problem with us moving into town?"

Cecile's mouth formed a thin line. "Not at all," she grounded out, turning on her heel. "Good day to you, Miss Shade." With that, she was gone.

As soon as the mayor was out of sight, Rex howled with laughter. "You almost had me fooled, Princess," he told her. "I almost thought that parenting had dulled your edge."

Celeste allowed a smirk to grace her lips. "Please, if anything, my edge had been sharpened."

Ryan looked confused. "What edge, Mom?"

She kissed his forehead. "Don't worry about it, kiddo." She thought back to how he had tensed up when Cecile had first arrived. "Bud, you got pretty spooked when the mayor came in. What was that all about?"

Her son looked down before meeting her eyes again. "She was in my dream," he admitted to her.

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "She was the woman getting married?" she assumed.

Ryan shook his head. "No," he answered. "She was the witch."

OoOoOo

"Why didn't you tell me about his dream before?" Rex hissed at her as Ryan walked ahead of them back to the inn.

She glared at him. "I didn't think it mattered," she snapped back. "Why would it? I just assumed that the woman getting married was me and the witch was taken from his imagination. What would it have to do with Batman and Wonder Woman?" And you had no right to know, she so desperately wanted to add. She didn't, however, keeping her eyes on her son.

He groaned and took something out of his bag before thrusting it into her arms. "I don't know, maybe because this dream describes your parents wedding!" he nearly shouted. "Princess, if Ryan's having dreams like this-"

"Enough!" Celeste cut in, covering her ears and shoving the comic book back to him. God, was he really this much off his rocker? How many times did she have to tell him? She would not nor would she ever believe that they were apart of some comic series. "Listen to me, Rex Stewart, and listen good! My. Parents. Are. Not. Fictional. Superheroes! End of discussion!"

Rex took hold of her arm. "Why is it so fucking hard for you to believe this?" he demanded.

She wrenched her arm free, narrowing her eyes at him. "Touch me like that again," she uttered dangerously. "I dare you."

He didn't back down and leaned in until their noses were nearly touching. "How about you listen to me for a change?" he suggested in the same tone she was using. "I'm going to get you to believe in this curse if it's the last goddamn thing I do in my life. Got it?"

Celeste was suddenly aware of their close proximity and pushed him a good few inches away from her. "Do what you want," she spat, catching sight of Ryan who was looking back at them, puzzled. "I'm going to go attend to my son."

Rex shook his head, walking past her. "Our son," he whispered into her ear before stalking up to his room.

She felt chills travel up her spine, but ignored them as she went up to the eight year old. "Come on, bud," she urged. "Let's get you ready for bed, okay?"

"Okay..." agreed Ryan reluctantly. As they made their way back to their room, she caught sight of Rex. He winked at her, prompting her to turn her head in the other direction.

Damn him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to keep chapters to about 2000 words from here on out. The first two were longer because they're prologues. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review!


	4. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, it's been a while. I honestly had lost inspiration for this story, but it came to me today. Please enjoy!

A week later, Celeste set up an appointment with the tutor that Richard had recommended. Diana Prince was her name, a woman only a few years older than herself. She had done some digging on the woman - that was her specialty after all - and found that everything checked out. She had been valedictorian from middle school all throughout college and had gotten her masters in child education. Why she wasn't a full-time teacher was a mystery to the twenty six year old.

The answer to this was clear, however, when she arrived at the Amazon Gym that afternoon.

There the woman was, dressed in yoga pants and a training bra and wearing boxing gloves on each hand, delivering quick yet forceful jabs to one of the punching bags. It swung upon every impact. Celeste eyed it nervously, as it looked like it would collapse at any moment. Damn, the woman was strong! This was supported by how totally ripped she was. It looked like she lived and breathed to fight. Like it was her way of life, all she had ever known.

It would probably be wise not to cross her.

Diana seemed to take noticed of her. "Oh, hello there!" she greeted brightly, her entire demeanor changing. In place of the tough, fierce woman she had just seen, was a kind, gentle one. She was surprised that the personality switch didn't give her whiplash. "Are you Celeste Shade?"

Along with looking like she could knock you out with one punch, Diana was also very beautiful. Long, wavy dark hair currently tied into a high ponytail, big, piercing blue eyes, perfectly tanned skin, and rosy red lips all forming the gorgeous woman in front of her. Not to mention, her perfect hourglass figure.

Celeste cleared her throat, making sure to clear her face of any bewilderment it may have shown. "Yes, I am." She held out her hand. "Very nice to meet you."

The powerhouse of a woman took off her gloves. "Likewise." She shook her extended hand. "Sorry about my sweaty palms. I wasn't expecting you until later."

"I had some free time and thought I'd check it out," responded Celeste, not minding the sweat at all. As a runaway foster kid, she had touched much worse. "I can come back if you'd like."

Diana shook her head. "No, that's alright. If you give me some time to shower and change, I can meet with you in about fifteen minutes."

She nodded, taking a seat in one of the chairs. "Sounds great. I can wait for you here." The woman left, leaving her by herself. Celeste took the opportunity to look around the gym.   
It wasn't too large, but it did have a comfortable atmosphere. Instead of dark colors like blue, red, and black that you might see at any other gym, this one was decorated in brighter colors like yellow, green, and white. The air conditioner was on - which made sense, seeing as it was late spring - and the chairs were rather soft.

As promised, Diana was back within fifteen minutes. Instead of her sports bra and yoga pants, she was now sporting a black pencil skirt and purple blouse. She was also wearing glasses. It was like she was an entirely different person. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Shade." She sat down across from her. "Now, you were interested in a tutor for your son?"

Celeste gave a nod of confirmation. "Yes," she answered. "I heard that your school was mostly teenagers and I didn't want my son to feel uncomfortable. Ryan's only eight and has always been a bit shy, you see."

"I can understand that," replied Diana. "If I may ask, has he always been tutored?"

Celeste shook her head. "No, he's always gone to school. But due to my profession, we've moved around a lot, so he's never really had time to make friends or anything."

Diana seemed to mull that information over. "Out of curiosity, what do you do?" she asked.

She saw that coming. This was one of the reasons they moved so often. Ryan had become a target of bullying due to her getting the other kids' relatives arrested. "I'm a bail bondswoman."

One of the woman's perfectly arched eyebrow quirked. "Really?" She didn't sound judgmental about it, just genuinely interested. "I've never met a bail bondsperson before. Must be quite an exciting job."

Celeste shrugged. "There have been a few... abnormal cases," she agreed. "I ended up having to wait-out a small gang just to corner one of their men once."

Diana chuckled. "Sounds like an adventure." Her expression turned wistful as she glanced up at the ceiling. "I've always wanted to travel and see the world when I was a girl." She shook her head, as if shaking such thoughts from her head. "Dreams of a naïve little girl. I've never even left Destiny City."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you?" she asked. "What's keeping you in a town like this? You could open a gym anywhere in America. What's keeping you here?"

Diana's face suddenly contorted into a confused one. She blinked a few times before shaking her head once more, her face melting back into her usual expression. "I'm afraid my life is here," she finally replied, picking up a stack of papers. "I have my credentials with me if you'd like to see them."

Celeste regarded her carefully. What the actual hell just happened? She took the stack of papers from her even though she already knew that she was more than qualified. She read through them once more, making sure she hadn't missed anything when searching up on her. "Well everything checks out," she said, handing the stack back to the woman. "When are you available?"

"Monday to Thursday from nine to two," answered Diana.

Celeste held out her hand, grinning. "Then I guess you're hired."

Diana took it. "I'm honored."

The sound of someone beeping their car horn ripped through the silent air and Celeste whirled around. Her eyes widened and she put her head in her hands, groaning. "Kill me now."

Diana laughed. "Ex or doting boyfriend?"

Celeste smiled in amusement. "Ex," she answered. "Unfortunately, he's also Ryan's father He's the one who convinced me to move us here." 'Why did I say that, why did I say that, why did I say that?' she berated herself. She was never this open with anyone. Hell, she had never been this open with herself! Why was she telling her life story to a woman she just met?

Rex entered the gym. "Hey, Princess, are you-" He stopped, looking between her and Diana, gaping at them silently.

She rolled her eyes. "Rex, speak."

He cleared his throat. "I just came to see if you were ready yet."

Celeste glared daggers at him. "I'm twenty-six years old, I don't need you to pick me up," she snapped.

Rex ignored her, holding out his hand to Diana. "Rex Stewart," he introduced.

Diana, who looked nothing less of amused, took it. "Diana Prince. I presume your Ryan's father?"

"That'd be me."

Diana looked over to her. "Well, your son has a wonderful mother."

Rex sent an adoring smile her way. "Believe me, I know."

Celeste fought off the blush creeping onto her face. Damn Rex. He always knew just what to do to get under her skin. A thought came to her suddenly. "Rex, where's Ryan?"

"At the diner."

One of these days, she was going to throttle him. It was funny how he could get her blushing, but then infuriate in under two minutes. "You left my son?!" she demanded.

"Our son," corrected Rex. "And no, I didn't leave him. Richard's there."

Celeste rolled her eyes and sighed. "Come on, let's go get him." She glanced back at the other woman. "So nice to meet you, Diana. See you Monday?"

Diana waved. "You too. See you Monday."

Celeste practically dragged him to his car. "What the hell was that?" she hissed.

Rex shrugged. "I can't pick the mother of my son up from interviewing his tutor?" he asked innocently as they climbed in.

She glared daggers at him. "I walked here! It's literally ten minutes from the inn!" She looked around, confused. "And when did you get your car?"

"Last night while you two were sleeping," he answered, starting the car.

Celeste crossed her arms. "And what was with you staring when you came in? You thinks she's hot or something?" As a bisexual woman, she could understand if he did. Diana was breathtakingly beautiful. Yet, for some reason - a reason she couldn't explain - she wasn't physically attracted to her. It was as if a voice in her head was telling her that it was wrong to think of the woman that way.

Rex smirked. "Why jealous?" he teased.

"Absolutely not."

He shook his head, mirth in his eyes. "I was staring because you and Diana look like you could be twins," he revealed.

That was not the answer she was expecting. "I'm sorry, what?"

It was Rex's turn to roll his eyes. "You couldn't see it? You look exactly alike." He thought for a moment. "Except your noses of course."

She turned away from him, dread settling in her stomach at his words. "What, exactly, are you implying?"

"I'm implying that Diana is Wonder Woman," Rex answered. "AKA, your mother."

OoOoOo

"Mom!"

Celeste managed a grin as her son launched himself into her arms. "Hey, kiddo," she greeted, embracing him tightly. She would never let it show and of course she trusted Richard in the sense that he wouldn't let any harm come to him, but she had been worried sick when Rex told her she had left him here. He was all she. If she ever lost him, life wouldn't be worth living. "How was your day?"

Ryan beamed up at her, pulling away from their hug. "Good!" he answered. "Mr. Stewart took me out for ice-cream! Oh!" He grabbed something from the table he was sitting at. "He also gave me this!"

She took it from him, observing it. On the cover were Batman and Wonder Woman, the latter heavily pregnant with a looming, feminine figure behind them. It was titled "The Savior Chronicles." Celeste clenched her fists. Not only was he trying to convince her, he was trying to get Ryan to believe in his fantasy world! She wanted her son to have his father, she really did, but not if he was going to be a danger to him. So far, it wasn't, but she couldn't let him blur the lines of her son's sense of fantasy and reality.

Ryan turned to the last page. "Look, Mom!" he urged. There was a picture of a baby with her necklace around its neck and wrapped in her baby blanket. "It's you!"

Celeste forced herself to smile. "Oh, Ryan, that's just a coincidence," she told him. "That baby isn't me."

He frowned at her. "But that's your blanket and necklace!" he insisted.

She gave him a fake laugh. "Ryan, do you really think a comic writer at DC modeled this baby after me? Is stalking me to write about my life?"

"Well, no..." admitted Ryan. "But-!"

Celeste kissed the top of his head. "You have your first session with Miss Prince Monday," she informed him. "Make sure you're ready."

He faltered, but nodded. "Okay, Mom."

She felt bad, but made sure her mask of indifference didn't break. "I love you, kiddo."

Ryan wrapped his short arms around her waist. "Love you too, Mom."

Rex grabbed her arm. "Can I talk to you outside?" he hissed in her ear. "Now?"

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She looked down at her son. "Hey, bud, why don't you order something for dinner, okay?"

Ryan seemed to brighten at that. "Okay!" he agreed cheerfully, going to sit down. "You want chicken parmesan?"

She winked. "You got me. I'll be right back, kiddo." She followed her ex-boyfriend outside. "What do you want?" She was so not in the mood for this. He was lucky that she had even moved to this small town in the middle of nowhere so he could be with his son. What more did he want from her?

"Why are you telling him things like that?" demanded Rex, glaring her down.

Celeste matched his glare. "Why are you trying to convince my son that I'm a comic book character?" she shot back.

"Because you are! We both are!" He growled in frustration. "I figured that if anyone could get you to believe, it was him!"

She looked at him, he expression one of anger and disbelief. "My god, you really believe what you're saying," she realized. "You honestly think that this fantasy you've created is real."

A new voice cut in. "Because it is." Both adults turned to see a man around ten year older than her getting off his motorcycle. He had short, neatly kept dark hair and intelligent sea green eyes.

Rex groaned. "Took you long enough, Drake," he complained in annoyance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took a while to write. So, both Diana and Tim have made an appearance. But where is Bruce I wonder? You'll just have to find out. Until next time! Please review!


	5. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty fast update, right? I wanted to see if I could power through it over the last two days and look at that! I did it. Anyway, please enjoy!

Celeste arched an eyebrow at the mysterious newcomer. "And who are you supposed to be?" she asked, crossing her arms. Though, she supposed that she didn't really need an answer. Rex had referred to him as "Drake" and, for some odd reason, he had a habit of referring to people by their last names. Hell, it had taken an entire month for him to call her Celeste when they first met. This led her to believe that this was the infamous Tim Drake. The one that had somehow convinced him to leave her.

Tim grinned at her. "I think you already know the answer to that, Celeste."

She glared at him; not even three minutes in and this guy was already getting on her nerves. "Then you're the one who convinced him to leave me alone to rot in a jail cell while pregnant," she concluded.

He at least had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. "I didn't know you were pregnant," he admitted sheepishly. "Not until it was too late."

Celeste felt her ire grow. "So you couldn't just tell him to go back for me? So that he could meet his son?" She clenched her fists at her sides. "My son grew up without a father because of you."

Tim didn't seem the least bit intimidated by her, though, why would he be? He had no idea of her temper. "It was necessary." He gestured to the man beside her. "He was a distraction. You have a destiny that's bigger than him. Bigger than all of us."

To her shock, Rex seemed to be losing his temper with him as well. "And who's the one who got her to come here in the first place?" he pointed out. "Why couldn't I have stayed with her, then brought her here when she turned twenty six?" He blinked and she could tell that he was trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. "Why couldn't I have stayed with my son?"

Tim sighed. "As a hero, emotions get in the way," he tried to explain to the younger adults. "Even if I had known you were pregnant, Celeste, there was nothing I could do about Ryan. I had hoped that you'd give him up for adoption, but you didn't. What could I have done?" He saw their glares and quickly added, "Think what you want of me, but I would never hurt a kid."

"Look, I don't know how you even know about me-"

"I'm your brother," he insisted firmly. "Celeste, I was there for your birth. I held you as a newborn baby when we escaped the curse." His eyes softened slightly. "Bruce and Diana were so excited to have you. They ordered the best of everything for you." He smiled slightly. "I was so happy when I found out Diana was pregnant. I always wanted a little sister. I would've done anything for you, protected you from everything I possibly could." His smile faltered. "But I never got the chance."

Celeste stared him down, trying to figure out whether he was serious or not. "I suppose Rex isn't the crazy one here," she finally spoke. "You're very convincing. I almost believed you for a second."

Both men groaned. "You're so goddamn stubborn!" complained Rex.

"So are you," she retorted. "Which begs the question. How did he convince you? It would take more than a sob story to win you over."

He thought for a moment. "Memories," he answered. "They're faint, but they're there. I can remember the three of us escaping the curse. Only glimpses, but I saw you as a baby. And I remembered him when he showed me a picture of him as a kid."

Celeste bit her lip; it was true that he did have a very good memory. "If the woman I met is really my mother, how come she's only three years older than me?" she demanded.

"The curse," answered Tim. "It freezes time. They've been living the same day over and over again for twenty-six years. Time only started moving again when you got here. That's how I knew you had gotten here on time." He chuckled. "Besides, Diana doesn't age anyway. She's immortal. She told me that she stopped aging at twenty one." He looked her over. "I guess it's the same for you too."

"You do look like a twenty-one year old," chimed Rex.

"Shut up," snapped Celeste. She shook her head. "Look, you two are crazy. Accept it." She paused before shrugging. "Or don't. That's not my problem. But by god if you don't act sane around Ryan, so help me Rex Stewart!" She was on the thin line between insane and sane herself, so she couldn't really judge. She just hid it better than him. "We've both gone through a lot thanks to you two and he doesn't need this, alright?" She promptly turned away from them, marching into the diner.

Tim winced. "She's stubborn like her parents," he commented.

"I can't blame her," replied Rex. "If I didn't have those memories, I wouldn't believe it either." He turned to face the other man. "How is she going to break this curse, anyway?"

Tim sighed. "What's the point if she doesn't believe in it?"

Rex stared at him blankly. "You don't know how."

Tim glared at him. "It wasn't like they sent an instruction manual with us." He stared at the building in front of him. "She's going to break it. I may not know how yet, but I do know that getting her to believe is the first step. And your son is the best way to do that."

OoOoOo

A few days had gone by and Celeste had barely given Rex and Tim the time of day. In fact, the only time she spoke to either of them was when she absolutely had to. Which, needless to say, wasn't very often in Tim's case. She had made a deal with Rex and she intended to honor her word. She didn't owe this stranger claiming to be her brother anything.

Monday had come quickly and she had decided to sit on her son's lesson with Diana. As she predicted, he was doing exceptionally well. He was her kid, after all. Even though she had run away before she could finish high school, she had always been smart. School was more of a burden than anything back then. Part of her wished she had gotten her diploma, but it was far too late to change that.

Ryan wasn't perfect, however, and did struggle with some things. These were the times that she observed Diana the closest and she had to admit that she was thoroughly impressed. She was a patient teacher, not getting frustrated when he didn't get the answer straight away. She merely did her best to steer him in the right direction. Growing up in the eighties, teachers like her were a rarity.

"So, did I meet your approval?" teased Diana when the lesson was over. Ryan had gone with Rex to the diner for lunch, so she had invited the woman for coffee.

Celeste smirked. "You could say that," she answered cryptically, taking a sip of coffee. "Seriously though, you're a really good teacher."

Diana laughed. "Good to know that I'm on Celeste Shade's good side."

What was it about this woman that made Celeste open up to her completely? She didn't joke like this with just anyone. Her walls were up 24/7, so how was it that Diana was able to chip away at them so easily when even Rex - a person she had once loved and trusted with her entire being - could not? She was sure it wasn't attraction, so what in the world was wrong with her?

Celeste cleared her throat. "I was thinking of joining you kickboxing class," she revealed. "Would that be alright?"

Diana beamed at her. "Of course! I'd love to have you join my class! It's always a good idea to learn self-defense."

Celeste nodded in agreement. "I've always wanted to learn. I could just never find the time." She chuckled. "I always imagined myself fighting with the Justice League when I was a kid. Stupid right?"

Where the actual hell did that come from? She was letting Rex get into her head.

Something fluttered in Diana's eyes, but she blinked and it was gone. "Most girls wish to be princesses, but I wouldn't call it stupid. You had goals."

"Somewhat."

There was a knock on the door, confusing Celeste. If it had been Ryan and Rex, they would have just opened the door. It could have been Tim, but she had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. She stood up to answer it, only to come face-to-face with the mayor herself. "Can I help you?" she asked bluntly.

Cecile gave her an obviously fake smile. "Just came to see how you were settling in to our little town," she blatantly lied. She eyed the kickboxing teacher behind her. "I see you've met Miss Prince."

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "Yes. What of it?"

Cecile shrugged innocently. "It's just that I never pictured someone as... 'interesting' as you associating yourself with someone as 'pristine' as her."

Celeste blinked harshly just to keep her temper in check. "I don't think it's your business who I associate myself with, Madame Mayor," she shot at the woman. She didn't like her.   
She didn't like her at all. It wasn't just the fact that she had a vindictive personality, but she also just gave her a bad vibe. There was something about her that set off every warning bell in her head.

The mayor's sickeningly sweet smile turned into a smoldering glare. "Watch yourself, Miss Shade," she warned. "You don't want to make an enemy out of me." She leaned in closer. "You have no idea what I'm capable of." With that, she turned on her heal.

The twenty six year old groaned. "Ugh, I can't stand her! How did she even get elected mayor?"

Diana shrugged. "I have no idea. She's been mayor for a while now, too."

"How long?"

Diana froze for a second, as if the answer was no where in her head. Finally, she responded with, "As long as I can remember."

That was off-putting, but Celeste dismissed it as a moment of jumbled thoughts. "Strange," she commented. "And why did she call you pristine?"

Diana winced. "I have no idea," she answered honestly. "She's always hated me. I don't even know what I did to her."

She crossed her arms. "Sounds jealous to me."

The older woman blushed lightly. "Oh, I don't know about that," she said modestly. "What do I have that she could possibly be jealous of?"

"Well, you're a lot prettier than her," Celeste pointed out. A lot prettier than anybody on Earth, really.

Diana shook her head in denial. "Oh, no," she denied. "I wouldn't say that."

"I would."

Diana chuckled. "You're a flatterer in your own right, Celeste Shade. I can see why Rex still loves you."

Celeste nearly spit out her coffee. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You can't tell?"

She buried her head in her hands. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

OoOoOo

Everything was falling apart.

Cecile had noticed the old clock beginning to tick again. She had felt the magic weaken slightly in her perfect curse. And it was all because of that insolent wench that had the gall to move into her town.

She knew who the girl was the moment she laid eyes on her. That was Diana's brat, alright. There was no mistaking it. They looked exactly like each other and she had the same arrogance that Cecile had hated in her mother. The question was, why? Why did her presence have such an affect on the magic keeping her enemies imprisoned?

She needed to get rid of her. She had worked too damn hard taking away Diana's happiness for this girl to ruin it.

"Mark my words, Celeste Shade," hisses Circe into her mirror. "When I'm through with you, you'll wish that you had never stepped foot in this town."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda like this chapter better than the others. I don't know, I just think it flows well. So, we got some insight on how Tim has influenced Celeste's fate (dick move, Tim). We also see what Circe - or rather, Cecile - thinks of our heroine. I know I teased a Bruce reveal last chapter, but I think I'll save him for later. Anyway, please review!


	6. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I know it took FORVER, but here's another chapter! Please enjoy!

Yelling.

That was the only sound that reached her ears. She pressed her hands to them tightly, trying to block out the sound. It didn't work. No matter how hard she pressed, the yelling was loud enough to rip right through her shields. She hated yelling. Yelling led to anger. Anger led to pain. She pulled her knees to her chest and began to hum, trying to soothe herself.

After a few minutes, she dared to remove her fingers from her ears and peek out from under her blanket. It had suddenly gone silent. She sat up, surveying her area. She was alone. No one was in her room. That was good.

She didn't like it when he was in her room.

She took a deep breath, pressing a hand to her racing heart in an attempt to calm it. The anxious pit in her stomach was enough to make her want to empty what little she had eaten for dinner. She swallowed the bile daring to rise in her throat. Throwing up would only make things worse.

She slowly settled back into her thin mattress, trying to will herself to sleep. She let herself wonder what it would be like if she lived in a normal house with no yelling or hitting or people touching her when she didn't want to be touched. She wondered what it would be like to have parents who wouldn't get angry with her for throwing up or wetting the bed.

She wondered what it would be like to have a family.

~OoOoOo~

Celeste's eyes snapped open and she shot up from her bed. Cold sweat drenched her forehead and she found herself gasping for air. After a few minutes, she had calmed down enough to rub her eyes of the sleep that plagued them. It was a dream, she tried to convince herself. Just a dream. Though, in her heart she knew it wasn't true. It was more than a dream, it was a memory.

Celeste leaned against her headboard and stared up at the ceiling, collecting her thoughts. Why was she so spooked? Nothing bad had happened to her in that memory, so why did it seem like a nightmare? That was far from the worst of her childhood.

"Mom?"

She turned to see her son standing in her doorway and tried to put on a smile. "Hey, kiddo," she greeted. "What are you doing up?"

Ryan shuffled his feet nervously. "I heard you crying," he answered. "Are you okay?"

Celeste was suddenly aware of the almost-dry tear marks on her cheeks and how much her eyes stung from crying. "Just a bad dream," she told him. "Nothing to worry about, kid." She gestured him over. "Come here."

Ryan immediately went over to her, sitting himself on her lap and resting his head on her chest. "You sure you're okay?" he asked quietly.

She sighed. While she made sure to leave out the most gruesome details of her growing up, her son was aware that she was an orphan and that the foster homes she had stayed in hadn't been the best. "I'm fine, Nugget," she assured him.

"Can I stay with you, tonight?"

Celeste chuckled. "Of course you can." She moved aside so that he could snuggle in next to her. He did so, nestling himself into her side. "I love you, Ryan."

"I love you too, Mom," came the muffled response. She smiled softly as he eyelids slowly closed, drifting off into a peaceful slumber once more.

OoOoOo

Kickboxing was a lot harder than Celeste thought it would be. Then again, that might have been because she was severely out of shape.

Now, she wasn't overweight in the slightest. In fact, she had always been quite small for her age due to the lack of full meals during her adolescence. She had never joined any sports as a child, joining sports drew attention. She had been a shy kid, opting for sticking to the shadows. Large crowds had - and to this day still - made her nervous. She supposed that was where Ryan got it from seeing as though Rex wasn't shy in the least.

Diana chuckled at seeing her pupil sprawled on the floor. "Come on, Celeste," she encouraged. "I know you have more in you."

Celeste's chest heaved violently as she tried to regain her energy. "You make it look so fun and easy," she huffed dramatically. "It's all a trap." She was highly embarrassed. Sure, even Diana looked a little worn, but she wasn't on the floor and unable to move. Not to mention, Celeste was soaked in sweat. She felt utterly disgusting.

The older woman clicked her tongue. "I told you to go at your own pace," she chided. "Don't try to do everything that we do."

Right, there were others in the class besides her. Shayera Hol, Dinah Lance, Mari McCabe, and Helena Bertinelli all shared the class with her. Though, from the looks of it, Dinah could be teaching the class. She was nearly as good as Diana. Though, while Diana thought on her feet and relied a bit more on her strength, Dinah's moves were more calculated since she wasn't quite as strong as the other woman. Neither method was necessarily right or wrong, they were just vastly different.

Mari glanced at the clock. "Di, it's seven fifteen," she pointed out to the instructor.

Diana nodded. "Okay, you guys are free to go," she allowed. "You all did great today. Make sure to drink plenty of water, it's hot outside." As they all left, she approached the woman on the floor, kneeling next to her. "Celeste, honey, you have to get up. Rex is gonna be here to pick you up soon."

Diana was an affectionate and mothering woman, Celeste had discovered. The older woman had taken to calling her things like "honey" and "sweetie." She didn't do the same to anyone else, so she figured she gave off a "broken" vibe to her. She wasn't as offended as she thought she'd be, though. It was taking some getting used to, but it also didn't bother her as much as it should have.

Celeste groaned. "Let him drag me away."

Diana laughed, helping her up. "You'll get used to it soon enough," she assured. "It just takes time."

She scoffed. "Says the powerhouse over here. You don't even sweat!"

Diana crossed her arms. "I do too sweat," she insisted.

"Please, you glow."

The woman stopped, pursing her lips in thought. "I'm getting déjà vu," she stated, holding her head. "Have we had this conversation before?"

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "This is the first class I've ever taken," she reminded her.

Diana squinted. "I could have sworn that I've said that to someone before..." She waved it off. "It's probably nothing."

This was really starting to freak her out. These small moments would happen a lot. Diana would freeze and then go quiet, trying to recall a memory that she simply didn't have. Not just her, either. Richard acted the same way at times. It was strange to say the least. She didn't tell Rex about her observations because he would chalk it up to the damn curse that he and Tim were trying to convince her was real. She refused to believe it; there had to be a reasonable explanation.

Speak of the devil, Rex just entered the gym. "Hey, Princess," he greeted as he eyed her, grinning in amusement. He knew all to well about her lack of physical ability. "Have fun?"

Celeste glowered at him. "Just get in the goddamn car, Rex Stewart," she grumbled, to which he chortled.

Diana smiled at her. "You did good today, Celeste," she praised.

Celeste stretched. "Thanks," she said. "but I'm definitely gonna feel that in the morning." She waved weakly. "See ya, Diana."

Diana waved back. "Bye, hon. Got some rest."

Celeste and Rex exited the gym. Well, more like Rex led Celeste out of the gym and she stumbled behind him. He gave her a mildly concerned look as they got in the car. "You gonna be okay, Princess?" he asked.

She unwittingly leaned onto his shoulder. She knew that she shouldn't have, but she was far too tired to care. "I'm fine," she mumbled into the fabric of his shirt.

He tensed, but eventually relaxed as he started the car. "Careful," he warned playfully. "You might give the impression that you still have feelings for me."

Silence. Silence so thick that it could be cut with a knife. The volume of his simple words rattled her to her very core, her feelings concerning him still very much present. Eight years hadn't quelled her heart's desires. Still, he didn't need to know that. Even though her heart yearned for him, it couldn't have him. He was not to be trusted with it ever again.

"Just take me home to my son," she finally demanded.

Rex chuckled and she could tell that he was silently reveling in her refusal to answer his question. "Whatever you want."

OoOoOo

A few weeks of kickboxing had gone by and Celeste felt that she was getting better. She was slowly building muscle and her endurance was also a lot better than it had been when she first started. Of course, she was nowhere near any of the other ladies' levels, but she was sure that if she needed to, she could defend herself without any problems.

So, it shouldn't have come to a surprise that she almost punched Tim in the jaw when he tapped on her shoulder from behind at Alfred's. He dodged easily, holding his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy. I'm not gonna rob you or anything."

Celeste relaxed a bit, but kept her guard up. Despite claiming to be her brother, Tim wasn't someone she trusted at all. He was, after all, the reason she was left in jail whilst pregnant. To say that he wasn't her favorite person was an understatement. "What do you want, Drake?" she demanded. "I swear, if you talk to me about that damn 'curse' one more time-"

Tim shrugged. "I just want to get to know my sister," he interrupted innocently. He sat down and gestured for her to do the same. She did so reluctantly. "So, what's your favorite color?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's the best you could do?"

"Can I please have an answer?"

Celeste sighed. "Purple," she finally answered.

Tim grinned. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Next question, what's your favorite animal?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you're my so-called brother, shouldn't you already know all this?" she asked.

He scowled at her. "Just because I 'kept an eye' on you, doesn't mean I stalked you," he deadpanned. "I'm not that creepy, gosh."

Celeste hummed, unimpressed, before responding with, "I like most animals. Don't really have a favorite."

Tim nodded in understanding. "Favorite drink?" he asked.

She bit her lip. "I know it's going to sound weird," she began. "but caramel Frappes with cinnamon sprinkled inside." He stopped for a moment before his mouth curled up into the biggest grin she had ever seen. "What?"

"That was Diana's favorite too," answered Tim.

Celeste crossed her arms. "You're lying."

He placed his hand over his chest. "Swear to god I'm not," her promised. "Don't believe me? You can ask her yourself."

She growled in annoyance, standing up. "Maybe I will," she decided. She huffed, stalking out of the diner.

Tim leaned back, satisfied. Sure, this process was taking longer than he would have liked, but they were getting there. He had explained to Rex that it would take baby steps to get her to believe. He looked sadly at his cursed brother as he served as a waiter. "Soon, Dick," he whispered to himself. "You and everyone else will be free."

OoOoOo

Celeste anxiously waited for Ryan's lesson with Diana to end.

She fidgeted in her seat, her eyes trained on the two. It felt like the lesson was dragging on forever, even though there were only about two minutes left. After what felt like a lifetime, Diana rose from her seat. "Very well done, Ryan," she complimented, smiling softly. Her eyes shone with pride at having such a bright student. "You're done for today."

Ryan nodded. "Thank you, Miss Prince," he replied politely. He ventured off to his room without another word.

"Diana," said Celeste nervously, standing up.

Diana looked at her, the smile still on her face. "What is it, sweetheart?"

She bit her lip. "This is gonna sound weird, but does your favorite drink happen to be caramel Frappes with cinnamon sprinkled inside?" she asked, her voice dripping with anticipation.

The tutor looked affronted. "Actually, yes," she answered. "How did you know that?"

Well, Celeste couldn't say that a total stranger had informed her, now could she? "Helena told me," she answered hastily, trying to calm herself down. "I just thought I'd ask because that's my favorite too."

Diana blinked. "Oh," she accepted, packing up her things. "Okay." She gave Celeste a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Celeste nodded numbly as she left. She sighed, once again sitting down. She had a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed home today from school (I'm seriously considering being homeschooled, my school really sucks), so I decided to chip at this and see if I could get it finished and I did! Yay! Sorry if it seems choppy though. Please enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, people of the internet! Welcome to another chapter! Fun fact, I didn't even mean to start typing this. My friend just unblocked my computer (my freaking school blocked Fanfiction!) and this happened. Then, I finished it at home the next day. Please enjoy!

'You have got to be kidding me.'

Celeste felt like tearing her own hair out when Alfred - albeit apologetically - had informed her that guests with prison records were not allowed at the inn. How had he known that? Well, the esteemed Mayor Mageía had decided to have her very private juvenile records published for the whole goddamn town to see. She also just happened to give the inn a little call to remind them of their policy. Which resulted in her and her son being homeless.

"Are you okay?"

She glared viciously at the man to the side of her. "Of course I am, Rex," she drawled sarcastically as she shoved a bra into her suitcase. "Not only am I homeless, but my son is too! Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Rex shrugged at her. "No need to get snippy."

Celeste inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down. She had to remind herself that he wasn't the enemy here. Cecile was. And no way was she going to take this laying down. She was no longer the poor little orphan, forced to deal with the shitty way people could treat her and get away with it. She was a twenty six year old woman, bail bondswoman, and mother and she wasn't about to let herself be pushed around anymore.

Rex must have noticed the look on her face because he held out his hands cautiously. "Princess, you're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" he asked her, eyeing her carefully.

She supposed it made sense. Though, she preferred to think her actions through, she wouldn't deny that she had a temper. A temper that could get ugly were she angered enough. He had been the sole witness to it during their relationship. Most of the time, she wasn't angry. She had a calm, collected mannerism that she used to see through people clearly. It definitely came in handy as a mother.

Yet, in her younger years, she was guilty of hastily lashing out. Primarily, it hadn't been directed at Rex specifically. The worst he had received - she recalled - was her highly annoyed with him. There simply hadn't been any time for her to get really angry with him. Not with all the time they had spent on the road, laying under the radar of the law.

Still, he had witnessed her temper. Their clothes hadn't always been the cleanest and their appearances almost always disheveled, so at times they attracted the stares of others. As foster kids, they had been judged all their lives, so they were both used to people staring at them. That wasn't what set her off.

What set her off was that a woman had the actual audacity to comment on how they looked to their faces.

Celeste, to this day, still couldn't remember exactly what she said to the woman. All she could recall was her thumping heart, her flushed face, and Rex holding her back by her waist after the fact, practically dragging her from the store before the police were involved. He had good-naturedly named her "She-Hulk" after the incident.

She hardly spared him a glance. "What I'm going to do is none of your business, Rex," she snapped, stalking past him. "Just keep an eye on Ryan."

He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Celeste, just wait a minute," he tried to reason with her. She could tell he was being serious seeing as though he used her name. He never did that. The man gently but firmly tugged her away from the door. "Listen, Princess, you can't mess with Cecile."

Celeste scoffed, yanking her arm away and placing her hands on her hips. "Why?" she demanded. "Because she's the oh-so powerful mayor? Is that supposed to scare me?"

Rex crossed his arms. "No," he answered. "You can't mess with Cecile because she's actually Circe."

She tilted her head in confusion. "Who?" Was she supposed to know who that was?

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "The sorceress who cast the curse and separated us from our parents," he informed her. "The witch Ryan saw in his dream."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right." She couldn't believe that he was still going on about that. Cecile wasn't some evil witch that she needed to burn or whatever. She was just another person of authority abusing her power and trying to put her down. Well, she wasn't going down without a fight.

Rex grabbed the comic and flipped to the wedding scene. "You're going to try and tell me that this isn't Cecile?"

Well, even she had to admit that they did look similar. They had the same refined facial structure, the same voluptuous body. The only real difference was that Cecile's hair wasn't purple, though the inky black color was close to it.

Despite this, Celeste waved it off. "Coincidence." It seemed as though she used that phrase a lot nowadays. It was what she was sure that these similarities were, merely coincidences. "And if what you and Tim are trying to convince me of is true, then I should be able to take her on, right? Isn't that why I'm the 'Savior,' as you put it?"

He groaned. "That's not really how it works-"

She held up a hand. "Save it. I'm a grown woman and I'll do what I have to do. Take care of my baby." With that, she walked past him with her nose turned upward and exited the room.

Rex sighed, running his fingers through his hair. She was going to get herself into so much trouble and he wasn't sure that he could protect her. He supposed that she wouldn't want him to, anyway. She was independent and would throw his attempts right back at his face. He smirked; that must have been one of the reasons he was still so madly in love with her.

OoOoOo

Celeste found the oh-so esteemed mayor at the diner and slammed the newspaper onto the table. "What the hell is this?" she spat, her words dripping with pure, unadulterated fury. Never in her life had she felt so exposed. Her dark past was on display for everyone to see- and it was all because the mayor had a particular dislike for her.

Cecile spared her a glance. "I'm afraid that I've no idea what you're talking about. Can you be more specific?"

She gestured to a picture of herself at seventeen years old and completely stone-faced with the words "Juvenile Delinquent in Our Town?" plastered above her. "I'm talking about this," she hissed. "How dare you publish my private information. These are juvenile records; they're not accessible to the public!"

The mayor gave her a rather bored look, which only served to infuriate her more. "Miss Shade, I have no power over what the press publishes," she so blatantly lied. The woman had power over everyone, that much was clear. While she may not have had official power over the press, she definitely had influence. Everyone in town was afraid of her. Even Diana, who was as fierce and strong as they came, seemed to fear her. "If you're so concerned with you privacy, you'll have to take it up with the press."

Celeste scowled. "Oh, believe me, I will." She wanted to do so much to the woman that it was borderline sadistic, but managed to withhold herself. Attacking the mayor was definitely not in her best interest and would only cause more suffering for Ryan. She definitely didn't want to get arrested again - prison wasn't fun - which meant that the only thing to do was to walk away. So, holding her head up high, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the diner.

OoOoOo

As she made her way to the press building, Celeste tried to calm herself down. She had to remember that whoever had exposed her like that more than likely hadn't done it of their own accord. They were just another ant under Cecile's manipulative thumb. Still, she was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

She came across a man typing rapidly at his desk, slightly hunched over. From what she could tell, he had short, messy black hair and quite a muscular build. "Excuse me?" she called sweetly, trying to let him know that she wasn't angry with him.

The man started and turned to her and she could see that he had sky blue eyes hidden behind glasses and a firm jaw. He couldn't have been that much older than her, perhaps Diana's age. "Oh no," he muttered at the sight of her. "Miss, I am so, so sor-"

Celeste held up a hand, silencing him. "I'm guessing the mayor had something to do with my face being on the cover of today's paper, right?" she guessed, keeping her tone light.

The man blushed, lowering his head in shame. "She dug up some information on you a few weeks ago and made me write it last night," he revealed. "She told me that if I didn't, I'd be out of a job."

Just as she suspected. He was just as much as a victim as she was. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Clark," answered the man. "Clark Kent."

Celeste raised an eyebrow; now that was a name that no one could ignore. "Like Superman, Clark Kent?"

He blushed lightly. "My folks were real big fans," he told her, as if he got that question a lot.

She sighed in contentment; finally, someone having a DC name made sense! Now, if only the rest of the town had a reasonable explanation. "I see," she responded. "Listen, Mr. Kent. I'm not angry with you."

Clark actually looked up at her, relief washing over his face. "You're not?"

Celeste shook her head. "I've dealt with people like her before. She's nothing but a bully with too much power. Not anything I haven't handled before. This is simply a minor setback for me."

He nodded, but still looked ashamed. "I really am sorry, Miss. I wish I could have told her no. I hate that no one in this town is brave enough to stand up to her." He sighed. "Including me. Everyone just does what she says." He thought for a moment. "Well, except for Mr. Exousía."

This peaked her interest. "Mr. Exousía? You mean the pawnshop owner? The one everyone pays rent to?"

"That'd be him," replied Clark. "Even Cecile has to pay rent, that's why she hates him; because he has power over her. But, he's the one person who isn't scared of her." He paused. "And the one person everyone is scared of more than her."

"Hmm," pondered Celeste. "That's actually something to remember. Thank you, Mr. Kent."

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You can just call me Clark."

She smiled. "Well, then you can just call me Celeste." She turned away from him, making her way towards the door. "See you around, Clark." She left the building, thoughts of Mr. Exousía on her mind. Since she already had Cecile as an enemy, it would do her good to have him as an ally.

OoOoOo

Rex eyed her as she walked into the room. "Oh, good," he commented upon seeing her. "You're still alive. For a second I thought that I'd have to have Tim look for you on his motorcycle."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be ridiculous," she scoffed. "Cecile doesn't have any magic powers to turn me into a toad or something." She smirked evilly. "Besides, I'll pay her back." Oh, was she going to pay the mayor back. Cecile wouldn't know what hit her when she was done. She was already formulating a plan in her head.

He sat up straighter, eyes scanning her face. "Celeste, no," he implored. "Just leave it alone. Cecile has too much power and influence in this town. Think about what'll happen to you. Think about what'll happen to the kid."

That caught her attention and pulled her out of her revenge plans. Right. She wasn't a teenager anymore. She was a mother and she couldn't afford to put Ryan at risk. It was just him. Rex being here was making her forget who she was now, forcing her to delve into her past personality. She couldn't do that. She wouldn't let her heart ruin everything she had worked for.

"You're right," she admitted reluctantly. "I... let my anger get the better of me."

He shrugged. "Happens to the best of us."

Celeste nodded. "I won't attack her," she promised him. "but if she pushes me, I can't promise that I won't push back."

"Understandable."

There was silence between them. A silence that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, it simply just existed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She was ready for anything Rex Stewart threw at her, right? There was nothing he could say that would ever take her for a loop.

"I imagined having a kid with you back then."

Except for that. She wasn't prepared for that.

Celeste blinked, trying to wrap her head around the words he had just uttered. "I'm sorry, what?"

Rex shifted nervously. "The days before the... 'incident,'" he clarified. "We had been talking about settling down. I had always thought that would include a kid." He chuckled bitterly. "Well, that and marriage. And I... I think I was ready for it. I really do. I wanted to be a dad and I wanted to marry you. God, did I want to marry you." He turned to face her fully. "Princess, I-"

She cut him off by pressing her lips to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannnnddd scene! Cheesy, I know, but I couldn't resist! Oh, and you loyal WonderBat shippers, just wait! It's coming! Please, just bare with me. Anyway, please review!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the longest chapter I've ever written in my life. I actually sat here for five hours and wrote 4,000 words. It's official; I have no life. *sigh* Anyway, I'm sorry if anyone's OOC. For those of you who have watched this show, I suppose I should set up the casting so no one's confused. Well, here it is.
> 
> Celeste Shade: Emma Swan  
> Ryan Shade: Henry Mills(-Swan?)  
> Rex Stewart/Warhawk: Neal Cassidy/Baelfire (kind of, I guess)  
> Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard  
> Bruce Wayne/Batman: Prince Charming/David Nolan  
> Circe/Cecile Mageía: The Evil Queen/Regina Mills  
> Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold: Hades/Mr. Exousía
> 
> Everything else, I'm still kind of figuring out. As you can see, there are very noticeable stark differences between this fic and the show. For one, Celeste is twenty-six, while Emma was twenty-eight. For another, Celeste kept Ryan whereas Emma gave up Henry. Another is that Rex came for Celeste, while Neal kind of left Emma to dry (this was why you died, Neal). The list goes on and on.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!


End file.
